That 85% is produced by 139 wineries and is produced by 2,097 vineyards who represent 29% of statewide wine acreage.
Another 15% of California vineyard acreage is certified to other state sustainability programs, including Fish Friendly Farming, Lodi Rules, Napa Green and Sustainability in Practice (SIP) which all play an important role in the California wine community’s efforts to produce high quality wine that is environmentally sound, socially equitable and economically feasible.
“The California wine community has shown that sustainable practices and certification can be scaled up and is applicable to vineyards and wineries of all sizes throughout the state. As the fourth largest wine producer in the world, this means significant benefits for the land, natural resources and communities—both now and for future generations,” said Allison Jordan, Executive Director of CSWA.
In 2019, CSWA’s third-party certification program had a 50% increase in the number of certified vineyards and a 4.2% increase in the number of certified wineries which already represents 85% of statewide production.
CSWA launched CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE in 2010, creating a certification option for California growers and vintners that provides independent third-party verification of practices and other requirements. The certification program, developed and updated with extensive industry and stakeholder input, validates that stringent vineyard and winery requirements such as soil health, water and energy conservation, habitat preservation, natural pest control and other key sustainability areas are addressed.